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momuv4girls

I am a mom of 4-daughters. My youngest daughter was dx at age 6 with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder), then eventually EOBP (early on-set bipolar disorder). I am fortunate enough to live in CA, where there are qualified / knowledgeable child psychiatrists, and to date, my daughter is doing pretty well. There are ups and downs, but nothing as extreme as when she was un-treated. My daughter is now 10.My 16 year old daughter has mild depression and an eating disorder.My oldest daughter is 22, and has a really good understanding of her 2- younger sisters struggles and is pursuing a career in child psychology.My 19-year old daughter is patient and has a knowledge of mental illness that most adults don't have. I am blessed, yet face daily struggles that test my patience, but must remember this is not my daughters fault, and I must be her voice!

I am a HUGE advocate for mental health awareness and belong to Bring Change 2 Mind and CABF for support.

Children often times can hold it together during a school day, then when they get home in the comfort of those they love, let loose.

Has your daughter always been a bit difficult, or is this behavior somewhat new?My youngest daughter was always challenging, but my 3rd daughter had a shift once she hit puberty. Estrogen dramatically increases during puberty and may contribute to depression / mood issues.Here is a good link about teens and depression:http://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/teen-depression-signs-help.htm

You may want to have an evaluation done by a professional if your home-life has turned into a battle ground, and you guys are having a hard time 'enjoying' your daughter.

I understand how hard this is, and believe me, you're not alone. Take care!-KathleenView Thread

My youngest daughter had emotional melt-downs since age 2, so I completely understand where you are coming from.

Melt-downs can "look" like they come out of nowhere, but I guarantee, the child is having them for a reason - a reason you don't yet see or understand.

Some children are just more sensitive - plain and simple.They can have a melt-down when their over-tired, hungry, don't get their way, are internally upset over something that happened at school or home. Lots of reasons.

Children such as these do better with Positive Discipline techniques - and I would encourage you to seek these out. Spanking a child will not help, and I guarantee it will make it worse. I understand how frustrating it is for a parent to not stop the behavior - but a far better idea is to ignore it. Ignoring it, gives the tantrum no power. Stay calm, talk in a low voice, go about your activity and ignore her completely until she stops.

When a young child is acting out such as you describe, I think getting to the root of his behavior is most important now.

I would find a really good, smart Child Psychologist to evaluate your son. A good psychologist will do an intake with both parents, send forms to school for the teacher to fill out, and spend several visits alone with the child before coming up with a treatment recommendation.

It sounds to me like you mention - anxiety. Its doubtful that she is not tired, probably the opposite, she is over-tired. When children are over tired, sometimes in the evening they get a "second wind", but its actually from being tired.

What time does your daughter get up in the morning for school?What does her schedule look like after school? Does she go to an on sight school after care? How long is she there?

A bit more info could be helpful in offering suggestions, thanks!-KathleenView Thread

From your post, its hard to tell if what he is doing is out-of-the-norm ........ some kids are just more sneaky and test boundaries more than others. If you care to write back with some examples of what he does, that may be helpful.

In general though, when you have a child who tests limits and boundaries often, there needs to be a firm, in place system so your son knows what to expect and what to not expect.

There are a bunch of ways to design a behavioral plan and I would defer you to a really good Child Psychologist or therapist that mostly work with young children.

I would go visit with him/her, discuss the issues your son is having and help them come up with a reasonable plan. I would ask the potential therapist about Positive Discipline and see what they know about Behavioral Plans based on that.... Below is a link some Positive Discipline strategies.http://www.livesinthebalance.org/

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